CMS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a new ICD-10-CM code for reporting COVID-19 along with relief for facilities participating in quality reporting during COVID-19. Guidance on MS-DRG assignment and CC/MCC status for the new COVID-19 code has also been released.
Q: Is there is any guidance on ICD-10-CM reporting for screening for COVID-19? For example, a patient was admitted with pneumonia and the physician documented “COVID-19 screening completed–NEGATIVE.” Would it be appropriate to assign ICD-10-CM code Z11.59 (encounter for screening for other viral diseases) for this?
Sarah Nehring, CCS, CCDS, reviews ICD-10-CM reporting for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) as well as ICD-10-PCS reporting for procedures such as mechanical ventilations, tracheostomies, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenations. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Julian Everett, RN, BSN, CDIP , details the updated pediatric sepsis recommendations presented by the Surviving Sepsis Campaign which provides insight for clinical documentation specialists and inpatient coders on current clinical practices for the treatment of pediatric severe sepsis and septic shock.
Amy Sanderson, MD , writes that cerebral edema and brain compression are the result of significant brain abnormalities that can be life-threatening, and it’s important for clinicians to recognize and treat these conditions promptly. Properly documenting these diagnoses in the medical record is important to accurately reflect just how sick these patients are.
Kay Piper, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, says exciting changes to ICD-10-CM are published in an often-overlooked document called the Addenda. It lists additions, revisions, and deletions to the Alphabetical Index and Tabular List. This might seem mundane until you realize the changes’ potential effect on coding and CDI.
Q: We are seeing an influx of possible COVID-19 patients at our facility. How can we prepare to query for COVID-19-related documentation and coding issues that are bound to come our way due to the newness of the diagnosis?
Adrienne Commeree, CPC, CPMA, CCS, CEMC, CPIP, details Chapter 5 of the ICD-10-CM manual which contains codes for mental, behavioral, and neurodevelopmental disorders, and says attention must be paid to coding guidelines and instructional notes when reviewing these codes for inpatient assignment.
Yvette DeVay, MHA, CPC, CPMA, CIC, writes that because novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a new disease, there is still much to learn about how the disease is spread and what severity of illness it causes. For these reasons and more, many inpatient coders are finding this virus hard to report. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
